Sorted by date Results 1178 - 1202 of 3076
Letters from Matt Nore’s kindergarten/first grade class Isaac wrote: “I would like the Avengers tool box, a remote control swim car for my brother, a new phone for my dad, and a makeup kit for my mom.” Rosslyn: “I would like an easel for painting, a new painting set, and a gnome for mom's garden. Kailani: “I would like a pink teddy bear.” Peyton: “I would like a headset for video games, and three plane tickets to New Jersey.” Emma: “I would like an Amico robot and for my whole family to be together for the holidays.” Chloe: “I would like a rea...
As the holiday season is upon us, people who leave town or receive visitors are hoping for an easy, breezy ride. No overheads or ferry breakdowns. But it doesn’t always go that way. Residents were happy to share their holiday travel stories, from heartwarming to humorous. Brittani Robbins, executive director of the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce In 2013, her grandmother Marian Robbins, in her 70s at the time, came to visit for Christmas from Tacoma, Washington. There had been a blizzard the day before and she overheaded Wrangell to Ketchikan. J...
Bob Davis, assistant principal of Wrangell’s high school and middle school, has submitted his resignation and plans to retire at the end of the school year. The resignation was on the agenda for Monday’s school board meeting and will take effect next June. “When I took this job, I made it clear that I had a maximum expiration date of three years,” Davis said. “This is my second. From the time I signed my contract this last spring, I’ve made it clear that this would be my last year.” Davis has been a teacher at the middle school since 1994. He b...
A new year, a new coach and new attitudes are propelling the high school girls' basketball team into the new season. After just four games, last season was cut short due to COVID-19. But the players have shaken that off and are in the winning mindset. "I think it's looking really good. I'm super excited to see what our team can do," said junior Kiara Harrison. The team looks at last season as an opportunity to learn, practice and grow, which is already making a difference in this year's...
Wrangell's wrestlers secured more first-place wins during regional championships than any other high school at the meet. Athletes from Mt. Edgecumbe, Craig, Petersburg, Sitka, Haines, Thorne Bay, Ketchikan and Juneau's Thunder Mountain came to Wrangell to compete in the Southeast regional championships last Friday and Saturday. In the girls division, two-time state champion senior Liana Carney bested Ruby McCue of Ketchikan in the 135-pound weight class. Carney pinned her opponent in 30 seconds...
After a courageous four-year battle with cancer, Mark Dwayne Seimears passed away on Nov. 26, 2021, in Wrangell, at age 65. Mark was born on Feb. 20, 1956, in Everett, Washington, to Margaret and Robert (Bob) Seimears. He grew up the youngest of three children including Gail Ottesen and Robert Seimears. In 1960, the family headed north to Alaska along the Alaska and Cassiar highways to Telegraph Creek, British Columbia. From there, they boarded his grandfather's riverboat, the Judith Ann, to...
In fourth grade, my daughter, Dawson, said she wanted to be a doctor and I thought, “Oh, isn’t that cute.” She said it again when she was in eighth grade, and I thought, “Oh, that’s weird, she still thinks she wants to be a doctor.” Then she told me again when she was in 10th grade, and it drove me to my knees. I went to bible study that week, and with a broken spirit and tears rolling down my cheeks, I told the people at bible study that my daughter wants to be a doctor and there is no way I can afford schooling for her to be a doctor. And...
JUNEAU (AP) — State health officials are urging Alaskans to get vaccinated and to get their booster shot as the Omicron variant continues to spread across the nation. Alaska had no confirmed cases of the variant as of Tuesday, but officials want residents to be prepared. “We know a lot about COVID, we were expecting this,” said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer. “We continue to learn from around the world.” Zink said Alaskans should get vaccinated for COVID-19 even though data on Omicron’s ability to possibly evade vaccine immun...
For the first time in 14 years, the Southeast regional wrestling championships are scheduled to be held in Wrangell from Dec. 10 to Dec. 11. And the Wolves are ready. According to head coach Jef Rooney, the school activities association only allowed regional tournaments in larger communities like Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. This is the first time in several years a smaller community has been mixed into the rotation. "It's been a long time coming," he said. In fact, the last time Wrangell...
Out of 10 high school wrestlers on the Wrangell team, eight made it to the finals and four won their brackets at the Pilot Invitational in Juneau last weekend. Liana Carney, Ethan Blatchley, Ryan Rooney and Jake Eastaugh all placed first in their weight class, with Carney going head-to-head with teammate Mia Wiederspohn in the final bracket. "They had bumped up to wrestle the 160-pounders for the competition and ended up at the top of their bracket together," said Jack Carney, assistant coach....
Students at the middle and high schools have a new focus: Values. Students in grades six through 12 can take a photo they believe captures the essence of a value — like ethics, integrity or kindness — and enter it into a contest which could land them $300 if their photo wins the top spot. Bob Davis, the assistant principal of the two schools, said a similar photo contest was held at the high school last year, but a theme wasn’t attached. “We didn’t have ‘values,’ it was just a contest, and the kids really got into it.” The original deadli...
The school district is hiring for a full-time paraprofessional position, which is a change from what it was able to offer a short time ago. Thanks to federal grant funds, the district was able to make the position full-time and offer benefits including state retirement, health insurance for the employee and dependents, paid holidays, vacation and sick leave. Paraprofessionals have been needed at all three Wrangell schools for some time, though the current open position will be based at the elementary school level. They work one-on-one or in...
PUPPIES FOR SALE Petersburg goldendoodles for sale! Great family dogs, highly social and easily trained, low shedding. Available Jan. 20. $1,200, with $200 deposit. Call or text Mandy if you’re interested in pictures, 907-957-6295. JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for multiple positions. All positions are open until filled. Accounting Clerk: A full-time, 12-month position with benefits working in the Business Office. Responsibilities include assisting the Business Manager with accounting functions such as a...
Dec. 1, 1921 The Alaska School Bulletin gives the following records of attendance and punctuality for the first month of school in the incorporated towns of Alaska. Among the five schools having the best records, Wrangell High School stands fourth with an attendance of 98.91 percent, and our elementary school stands first with an attendance of 99.28 percent. Last year, Wrangell was seventh in size among Alaska schools. The cost of maintaining the schools of Alaska last year was $373,192. This represents an expenditure of $2,108 per day. Viewed...
PUPPIES FOR SALE Petersburg goldendoodles for sale! Great family dogs, highly social and easily trained, low shedding. Available Jan. 20. $1,200, with $200 deposit. Call or text Mandy if you’re interested in pictures, 907-957-6295. JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for multiple positions. All positions are open until filled. Accounting Clerk: A full-time, 12-month position with benefits working in the Business Office. Responsibilities include assisting the Business Manager with accounting functions such as a...
The Wrangell Institute was a big part of history — for the Native students who went to school there, for the community and the state. The Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school, which operated at the site above Shoemaker Bay from 1932 to 1975, was among several federal- and church-run schools common across Alaska for much of the 20th century. Many of the schools, including the Wrangell Institute, graduated a generation of leaders who served important roles as Alaska Natives gained recognition and rights long denied. But, sadly, many of the s...
Tom Gillen Sr. and Glenda Gillen met at a teen dance one weekend in Ketchikan. It was either the end of 1957, or the beginning of 1958, he said. He remembered when they married - that was 1959. Their life in Wrangell has lasted a lot longer than the dance. The couple has been married 62 years and have five children: Three boys, two girls; 13 grandchildren; "I've got 27 great-grandchildren," Glenda said. "Twenty-eight," corrected Tom. "Twenty-eight great-grandchildren," Glenda amended. "I missed...
While Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas looms on the horizon, the ghost of Thanksgiving lurks in the fridge. But there's nothing to fear. Wrangell is populated with creative types who are happy to share their tasty ideas on what to do with those lingering leftovers. Diane Hillyer Ivy-Dahlin said her family's favorite leftovers tradition is turkey enchiladas. This recipe can be frozen after preparing, then reheated. "You can use chicken too, but it's just a great flavor with turkey," she...
Linda Sue Jack, 71, a 49-year resident of the community, died Nov. 25 at Wrangell Medical Center. She and her husband, David Jack, moved from Oklahoma and arrived in Wrangell on Nov. 19, 1972 - on their anniversary. Linda Jack was born Oct. 23, 1950, in Medford, Missouri, and attended high school in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She worked about 40 years at the Wrangell Medical Center, retiring a few years ago from her job handling insurance claims, her family said. She was active in The Church of Jesus...
In the Nov. 24 Sentinel, Megan Powell’s last day as secretary of Wrangell High School was incorrectly reported. Her final day at the school will be Dec. 17....
With a few pre-winter snows, a sledding hill popular with children has already seen some use. However, the Wrangell parks and recreation department’s plan to make improvements to the hill behind the covered play area at the elementary school has been delayed. Replacing decaying logs between the parking lot and the hill, and clearing of alders encroaching on the slope will now likely take place in the spring, said Kate Thomas, parks and recreation director. Parks and recreation was teaming up with the public works department to complete that w...
The borough is looking to move forward with its plan to develop residential lots on the site of the former Bureau of Indian Affairs Wrangell Institute boarding school, while also fulfilling the Department of the Interior’s mandate that former boarding school sites be inspected for human remains. The federal push came after the discovery earlier this year of 215 unmarked graves in British Columbia at the site of what was once Canada’s largest Indigenous residential school, and the fear that unknown burial sites could exist at American Ind...
It takes a village to raise a tree; Christmas tree, that is. On Dec. 3, the efforts of people throughout Wrangell will culminate in the lighting of the community Christmas tree, a decades-long tradition. A "very full and pretty" pine tree located behind the state highway equipment shop on the Airport Loop Road will be cut down next Monday and taken downtown to be set in a stand between the Elks Lodge and L&M gas station, according to Dominique O'Connor, secretary for Wrangell Municipal Light &...
As of Monday, 38% of Wrangell youth ages 12 through 17 had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, less than the statewide average of 48%, according to state health department statistics. The national rate is about 60%, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though children as young as 5 became eligible for the shots earlier this month, the state website does not track vaccination rates separately for 5- through 11-year-olds on the “Sleeves Up for School” online dashboard. SEARHC started offering vaccinations for...
I am not an economist, though I like learning and thinking about economic problems. Nor am I a statistician, human resources manager or director of hiring at a business. But I do think a lot about why so many employers in Wrangell, around the state and across the country are finding it so hard recruiting people to fill vacant jobs. As of October, while there were 7,300 fewer jobs in Alaska than a year ago, there were three times as many people unemployed, according to U.S. Labor Department statistics. Yet, it seems some days there are more...
